Muhlheim Adventures in Shanghai

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Some of Lauren's new activities

This season I've started two new activites: tennnis lessons with the Malaysian coach, Louis (it's nice to be playing again) and some Chinese cooking classes.

I'm taking a 4-session wok-cooking class at the Chinese Cooking Workshop.

My friends Danielle and Denise (from the Chabad of Pudong) have joined me.

Some photos from the first week of school

The boys next door: The triplets (Ethan, Patrick, and Aidan - I'm still trying to learn to tell them apart) who live next door to us have started preschool. Their youngest brother (Owen) just goes along for the ride in their train.

Henry and Austin

Allison, so proudly arriving on her bike (sans training wheels).

Playing at school and home

Some photos of the kids playing on the school play structure at the open house

Henry with his two buddies, Ola (from Sweden) and Austin (from America).

Henry with Jumble.

The First Day of School

The kids started school on August 25th (Henry - 5th, Rebecca - 4th, Allison - 1st). Shanghai received it's heaviest rainfall in 130 years. It was pouring and thundering and lightening as they headed off to school in the most violent storm I've ever seen. The water was again up to our front walk and we were completely drenched by the time we got into the car from our front door. (We - really Xiao Hu - drove the kids to school on our way to work!)

The Olympics

We were very fortunate to be able to get tickets to see the Olympic soccer games that were held in Shanghai. We saw both the women's and the men's semi-finals. In the women's we saw Brazil versus Germany and in the men's we saw Nigeria versus Belgium. Both matches were pretty exciting.

Typhoons and Flooding

The rainy season continues with typhoons and flash floods. Our street (and garage) floods in heavy rain. This is the view of our street. Rebecca and Jumble enjoyed a romp following a heavy rainfall in August. (All pictures shot by me standing on our threshold looking out at the street and the house directly across from us.)